👋 Hi! I'm Palosanto,

founder and designer at Oakanda. I'm a mediocre pianist, award-winning photographer, underground deep house DJ, neurodivergent trauma survivor, and a former world-ranked competitive athlete.

I grew up in a mixed race family across the Bay in scenic Palantir Alto, bounced around SF and the East Bay most of my life, and fell in love at first sight with Oakland when I moved here in 2025.
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I've experienced more privilege and overcome more adversity than most people I know. Before leaving the mainstream consumer tech industry 10 years ago, I made a bunch of money as a twenty-something early startup employee, and I raised over $1 million as the founder/CEO of my previous startup. I also overcame an abusive family, lost a sibling to domestic violence, have experienced housing insecurity and homelessness, and survived multiple episodes of police violence.

I don't care what skin color you are, who you hook up with, or how many zeros are in your bank account. I care about the quality of your music, your character, and how you use your platform to serve the people.